New initiative to boost D&T uptake in schools

A new initiative has been launched to boost participation in design and technology subjects in schools.

Bristol and the surrounding area has been chosen as the first regional hub for the programme, which will connect 1,700 schools with major engineering corporations like Samsung.

The hope is to revive interest in subjects that have seen a dramatic tail-off in the number of students qualifying in the field.

As a result, the Design & Technology Association (D&TA) says the design economy, worth an estimated £100bn per year, is facing a significant skills shortage in the years to come.

Speaking at the Regional Initiative launch at Aerospace Bristol, D&TA chief executive Tony Ryan emphasised the need to bring business and schools closer together to nurture talent.

"The subject has really struggled over recent years to find its way within schools where it's more expensive than a traditional subject like history, for example," he added.

As a result of that expense, Ryan said around around 20% of schools had dropped the subject altogether.

"When you're looking at a pipeline through to business and industry and the careers of the future that's a bad thing, so we're trying to address that."

Zoë Wilson, D&T teacher at Hayesfield Girls' School in Bath, welcomed the initiative, but speculated whether it would truly be enough to address the skills shortage in the sector.

She said more government funding was desperately needed, as well as teacher training.

"If the school doesn't have the D&T teachers, they don't have the equipment to actually run the subject [then] they are leaving schools without those practical skills, without those creativity skills to take it further."

Anjali Devadasan is the founder and CEO of Treeva, a company that uses turbines to harness the airflow on the side of roads and railways to generate power.

Having taken part in Samsung's Soul for Tomorrow mentorship programme, she underlined the importance in the support that was offered to her in achieving success in the industry.

"We had design thinking, mentoring, and workshops where we were really looking into how to build an idea from reality," she said.

"And now what we're doing is generating power on the side of roads and railways."

While Bristol will be the first regional hub launched in the country, there are plans for the programme to eventually offer mentorship at 15 locations around the country.

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